News from Thailand – August 4, 2012
Thailand has had a charging station for electric cars since Wednesday. The president of the Federation of Thai Industries was allowed to charge the first car.
For the time being, Thailand only has 3 EV cars, which were donated by Mitsubishi Motors to the Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA), the electricity company of Bangkok.
The MiEV (Mitsubishi Innovative Electricity Electric Vehicle) was launched in Japan in March 2009 after 20 years of research and development. Five thousand prototypes are running in Japan and 10.000 have been shipped to the US and Europe.
The MEA will develop nine charging stations next year in Bangkok, Nonthaburi and Samut Prakan; in the next 2 years that number should increase to 20. Charging is free until July 2013, but only the MEA benefits from this. Because the car is still in the testing phase, no one outside the company is allowed to own an EV. After charging (360 volts), the car has a range of 100 to 140 kilometers. The article does not mention how long it takes to charge.
The government is considering reducing the tax on energy-efficient cars, but is still unsure about benefits for FFV (flexible-fuel vehicle) and EV cars. FFV vehicles can run on a mix of gasoline and ethanol from 5 to 100 percent.
– Opposition party Democrats attacks Prime Minister Yingluck head-on in a so-called censure debate, a debate that culminates in a vote of no confidence. It is expected that the Democrats will use the corruption in the rice mortgage system and the anti-flood projects to defraud the cabinet.
On Monday, the Department of Special Investigation, the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission and police officials from nine provinces will meet to develop an action plan against corruption. The meeting is chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung, who has been instructed by Yingluck to end irregularities in the rice programme.
Yingluck thus responds to an urgent letter from the National Anti-Corruption Commission about loopholes in the program. According to a source at the DSI, the Prime Minister is increasingly concerned that the Department of Commerce is unable to crack down on corruption.
Rice millers fiddle with scales and humidity meters and traders smuggle rice from neighboring countries to take advantage of the higher price here.
A date for the censure debate has yet to be set. On August 1, parliament returned from recess and will remain in session for the next four months.
– The US has requested the extradition of the former governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand and her daughter to stand trial on corruption charges.
Juthamas Siriwan and her daughter Sittsopa were charged in January 2009 for taking US$1,8 million in bribes. They received that money from Holywood producers Gerald and Patricia Green. In return, the couple was allowed to organize the Bangkok International Film Festival and some other activities of the TAT annually between 2002 and 2007 for 60 million baht. The Greens were sentenced to 2009 months in prison in 6.
In Thailand, the National Anti-Corruption Commission already established the facts in August 2011. The OM is still working on the case. The Public Prosecution Service and the NACC have formed a joint committee to investigate the matter further. The committee is expected to complete its investigation this month.
– The Fourth Army Region in southern Thailand does not consider it necessary to impose a curfew in response to increased violence. According to commander Udomchai Thamsarorach, the existing legislation offers sufficient possibilities to combat the violence. "The situation is under control," he says.
Minister Sukumpol Suwanatat (Defense) this week raised the possibility of a curfew. Muslim leader Wan-abdulkadir pointed out yesterday that a curfew in Ramadan would be very inconvenient. Muslims would then not be able to go to the mosque for evening prayers.
The army has determined that four (stolen) vehicles are being converted into car bombs. Surveillance at checkpoints has been tightened; garages are also checked.
– Friday was the first day of the entrance exams for the training of police non-commissioned officers. The exams replace the exams in June that were declared invalid due to fraud.
Candidates were required to wear a T-shirt, long trousers and sneakers to avoid smuggling in receiving equipment, as happened last time. They were also scanned with a metal detector. Jewelery and watches were prohibited, parents were kept at a good distance and jamming equipment provided the finishing touch.
A total of 16.744 candidates take part in the exam, which will also be held today and tomorrow at various locations, for example in Nakhon Ratchasima at six locations. 32 people were arrested for the fraud in June. Police are still looking for six suspects.
– Opposition party Democraten supports the proposal to review the constitution of 2007 article by article. Deputy party leader Thaworn Sennam said yesterday that some articles should be changed in view of the changed circumstances.
This applies, for example, to Article 237 on the dissolution of political parties and the 5-year ban for party board members. A committee under the previous Abhisit government has already proposed scrapping dissolution and harsher penalties for vote-buying politicians.
For example, article 190 on international treaties may also be reviewed as far as the Democrats are concerned. The current article requires parliamentary approval in all cases. That wording is too broad.
Democrats continue to oppose rewriting the entire Constitution.
Government party Pheu Thai has now slowed down a bit and says that amendment of the constitution is in no hurry. First, the population must be properly informed about the need for change, says MP Chavalit Wichayasut. Spokesperson Prompong Nopparit says the postponement is intended to ease political tensions.
– The Ministry of Transport wants to form an infrastructure fund to finance new highways. The fund functions in the same way as a mutual fund. Individuals can invest in it and collect interest. The government would have more money at its disposal through this construction, without increasing the debt burden. The ministry needs 192 billion for 5 highways. 75 percent of the amount must come from private individuals, the rest from the Highways Department.
– The Thai wood and wood processing industry will have a hard time because of new stricter rules from the EU on wood imports, fears the president of the Thai Parawood Association (TPA). Illegal harvested wood no longer enters the EU. The new regulation, which will come into force in March 2013, will have consequences for the export of furniture, wood pulp and paper. The TPA will soon consult with the Department of Commerce. Thailand exports 40 billion baht worth of wood products annually. So far, only Indonesia has signed up to the new EU rules. Malaysia is still watching the cat out of the tree.
– Phuket wants to build a new prison with a capacity of 3.000 inmates. The current prison is over 100 years old and is not only in a deplorable state but is overcrowded with 1.600 prisoners. In a cell intended for 1 prisoner, there are now 7 to 8 prisoners. The cost of the new prison is estimated at 1 billion baht.
– Did the girl who had sex with her boyfriend in a dark cinema in Ratchaburi province take her own life? The rumor is circulating, but police say a preliminary investigation has not confirmed this. However, the police have established that the boy suffers from stress since a clip of the courtship appeared on the internet.
– The Hom Mali (jasmine rice) currently being sold is of low quality because the government stockpiles the high-quality rice, said Somkiat Makcayathorn, president of the Thai Rice Packers Association. The Internal Trade Department confirms this; the Hom Mali comes from older harvests, not from the last 2011-2012 harvest.
Somkiat says there is no shortage of jasmine rice, but if the government keeps the rice in stock any longer, the quality will drop and the government's fancy scheme to get a good price for it will fail. Packers now buy jasmine rice for 31 to 34 baht per kilo, depending on the quality.
Make sure that the rice to be auctioned (from the government stock, obtained through the mortgage system) is of good quality, Somkiat urges the government. When buyers doubt this, they are not willing to pay a good price. According to Somkiat, the quality is easy to determine because the government has independent surveyors.
– Thailand continues to hold a great attraction travelers who come for a short or long stay, but the growing influx may cause capacity problems for the transport network. It is therefore urgently needed, says Alan Watts, vice president of Southeast Asia at the InterContinental Hotels group, that roads and railways be improved to avoid frustration and maintain Thailand's advantage.
Designed for 45 million passengers per year, Suvarnabhumi Airport handled 2012 million passengers in the first half of fiscal year 26,4 (October–October), up 7,5 percent year-on-year. By the end of the year, the counter is expected to reach 52,5 million passengers.
Watts is pleased that passenger flow at the airport is significantly smoother than before and commends the government for its decision to upgrade Don Mueang. The old airport has been home to Nok Air and Orient Thai since its reopening, and from October 1st also to AirAsia.
The IHG CEO also has a message for the hotel industry. Target specific markets by, for example, enabling online bookings in the relevant language and study food and beverage requirements. So tailor-made. Other sectors that could grow include intra-Asean travel, family travel and medical tourism, which served 1,4 million patients last year.
IHG operates the Holiday Inn and Indigo Resorts, among others. In the coming years, nine hotels will be added in Thailand.
www.dickvanderlugt.nl – Source: Bangkok Post